124 Counting Ways
by Black-Coronet
Summary: [Horatio Calleigh] Light fluff. Horatio asks Calleigh if she's ever counted the stars before.


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from CSI:Miami. They all belong to their respectful owners.  
Summary. H&C Fluff. Pretty basic. Full o' love ;)

Horatio stumbled and crashed into the sand, his gun drawn, his eyes full of anger as 34 year old Donovan Borrow zipped past him, his shirt still ripped from when he had tried to pull him down.  
"Calleigh! He's heading for you!" He yelled, staggering up. That last punch that Donovan had landed on his stomach was really starting to sting and he held down his urge to throw up. He raised his head and watched as the man was thrown off his feet by the small blonde, her foot lowering as he gun was drawn, pointed at him. He heard her scream something and he tried to get up but his knees buckled and he collapsed back in the sand, his breaths now coming out in wheezes as he held the sore spot. The other officers raced down the beach down, one of them physically jumping on the boy, throwing him on his front with his hands tightly behind his back. More screams came out from them and he watched Calleigh move out from behind the officers, heading towards him quite quickly.  
"Horatio!" She called out, holstering her gun. He gave her a weak smile but remained still, trying to level his breathing so she wouldn't hear his wheezes. As she came closer, she sported a very concerned look, her eyes wide with fear.  
"Are you okay? Horatio"  
He waved his hand but remained still. She fell in the sand beside him, her hands immediately coming down to feel at his stomach. As she pressed the sore skin, he grunted, wincing in pain.  
"Horatio, maybe we should get you to the hospital"  
"No.." He managed to say finally, his eyes on the ground now. She bit her lip, her eyes starting to shake.  
"Please... your hurt!" She pleaded in a small, childish voice. He blinked and broke his gaze with the sand and brought it up to meet Calleigh's. Her eyes brimming with tears, her bottom lip in her mouth. She was so beautiful and he felt like reaching up and kissing her, but his pain dispersed those thoughts. He did give her a weak smile, but it only made her worry intensify and he could feel it.  
"Just.. let me relax for a minute... I'll be fine..." He said, leaning back. As his hands came out behind him, he felt his left hand get a sharp pain and he pulled it up harshly, only to have his right hand buckle underneath him and he landed on his back, a cough erupting from his throat. Calleigh let out a gasp and was immediately hovering over him, her voice full of fear.  
"Horatio! Oh my God, Horatio! Are you okay? Speak to me, Horatio! Horatio!" She cried, her hands touching every part of his body practically to make sure nothing broke. He just smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling it off his body.  
"Calleigh... relax. Jeez, your not even dosed and your acting more hyperactive than if you were..." He said, staring up at the sky. She seemed to relax at his comment, but she still remained above him. But her eyes now were on the officers dragging Donovan up the hill towards the squad cars. She watched them, curiously, as her boss lay on the soft sand, his eyes still on the sky.  
"Calleigh"  
She slowly looked back to him, his hair getting full of sand as he shifted his body, trying to get comfortable.  
"Yes?" She asked softly.  
"Have you ever counted the stars"  
Calleigh watched him and felt herself blush at how calm and relaxed he seemed. As if, for the first time, he was actually enjoying life. He was actually… happy. Even after all of the shit that had hit him so far. His brother, Yelina leaving, the asshole judge that seemed to just want to destroy his fragile being. Everything, yet he was smiling through it all. He was so brave through it all and she wished so hard that she could be like him. But she knew she could never be as strong as him. Hell, she had left the Ballistics lab just because of Hagan. One little incident and she couldn't even face it. It made her feel like crap and she felt herself not being able to hold back anymore. She felt one of the small tears stray down her eye and she quickly looked in the other direction, not wanting him to see. But he did. And he gently reached up and touched her soft face, his hand warm against her cool skin. She turned and her green eyes met his blue ones, her cheeks reddening at the feel of his gaze. She started to whimper and her shoulders shrugged, another tear falling down her cheek.  
"Please… don't look at me…" She whispered, struggling to hold down her cries. He watched her, her hands coming up to hold his hand tight to her face. As she started to cry, she shut her eyes and hung her head, her body shaking with the silent cries. Horatio watched her sadly and he eased himself up to a sitting position. He brought his other hand up to her cheek and cupped her face, lifting it up so he could see her. She never opened her eyes as he did so, the tears still streaming down.  
"Oh Calleigh… how could I not look at your beautiful self.." He asked, leaning in until his lips kissed at the streaming tears. She hiccupped and let out a ragged breath, still trying to calm herself. He pulled away and watched her try to compose herself, her eyes still shut. When she finally opened them, they were glassy and full of pain. It made his heart ache as he stared into them and he wished he knew what was causing her to look so crushed.  
"Calleigh… what's the matter? You know you can tell me…" He had to inquire, wanting her to stop feeling such pain. She bit her lip and broke their gaze, her head going down but he lifted it back up again, making sure that their eyes connected.  
"Calleigh." He pleaded. More tears fell down and she hiccupped again, her eyes full of despair.  
"I want to be strong again…." She said, her words full of sorrow, her voice shaking. "I want to be the Bullet Girl again. I want to make you proud"  
As she said that, she started to cry again, and he let go of her face, reaching over to collect her into his arms, ignoring the sharp pain his body sent up his spine to warn him not to move so much.  
"Calleigh… you always make me proud…" He said, holding her in a tight embrace. She clung to his shirt, crying into his shoulder. She pulled her face away from his now soaked shoulder, wiping at her eyes.  
"But… I'm not even that strong anymore! Look at me… crying like this…" She spat, her shoulders shaking as she sucked in a long breath. He held her tighter, rubbing her back.  
"Everyone at one point shows emotion, you know…" He said, his eyes on her small body. As she calmed herself down physically, he continued to rub her back, his eyes dragging back up to the sky. He watched the stars above them blaze, their twinkling overriding the light pollution from the nearby city of Miami. As he kept staring, Calleigh brought her gaze up as well, her eyes coming up to stare into the endless sky.  
"..I haven't…" She said suddenly, making him break his gaze and stare down at her. She cuddled against his chest, trying to gain more warmth against him and he blinked, confused.  
"You haven't what"  
She sniffed, her stomach now feeling woozy.  
"I've… I've never counted the stars"  
He smiled a small smile and held her tighter, his lips resting on the top of her head. She gave a little grin as she felt him kiss her head, his hands still rubbing her back, mainly now to keep her warm.  
"I've gotten to 1, 345 before I lost count again." He said, smiling at what he just told her. She pulled away and looked at him with her shining green eyes, a small smile painted on her lips.  
"Really"  
He nodded.  
"I used to count the stars all the time with my mother." He replied, reinforcing his story. As he looked back up at the stars, she wiped her nose again and felt herself blush.  
"Are you really proud of me, Horatio?" His gaze dragged down to her hopeful eyes.  
"Of course I am"  
She smiled again and wiped at her eye.  
"God, I must look like a mess." She mumbled, mostly to herself. As she leaned her head down in a slant to wipe it against her wrist, he counteracted by cupping her head and lifting it up, his own coming down until they were mere inches away from each other.  
"No. Never. No matter what you do Calleigh, you always look beautiful." He whispered, and she felt his warm breath hit her, making her shiver. He closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers. She closed her eyes and felt her cheeks get hot, her mouth parting instinctively.  
They kiss was short, shy, but effective. As Horatio pulled away, both of them let out a long breath, their cheeks flushed, their eyes shifting to look anywhere but each other's eyes. But Calleigh did spot Horatio licking his lips. And Horatio saw Calleigh quickly touch her lips in a shy fashion, as if she was trying to make the feeling linger on them.  
Finally as their eyes met, they both grinned sheepishly.  
"Umm…" Horatio started, blushing. Calleigh bit her lip and then smiled an innocent smile.  
"967." She said, making him give her a confused look.  
"What"  
"That's how many lines I've counted on the highway when my Dad drove me from our house to the airport when I was leaving to join the Miami PD." She admitted, grinning. Horatio stared at her but then he smiled one of his rare, warm smiles, and Calleigh soaked it in. He held his side and staggered to his feet, straightening up. She watched him for a second before she got up and grabbed onto his shoulder, steadying him.  
"123." He said, staring at the Miami skyline. She stared at him, waiting for his reply. He remained silent and she sighed, finally asking.  
"123 what"  
He grinned.  
"123 things you've done that has made me fall in love with you"  
She felt her heart swell and she smiled as he started walking down the beach. His one hand on his stomach now, holding the pain in, his other clasped tightly on her shoulder, making sure that her body was against his. She smiled and brought her other arm up, clasping it around him in a possessive hug.  
"124..."

+ 


End file.
